Roberto Martinez has hailed the arrival of Farhad Moshiri and believes the billionaire’s investment in Everton heralds a new era for the club.

It was confirmed on Saturday that Moshiri had acquired a 49.9 per cent stake in Everton to become the club’s major shareholder; the 60-year-old Iranian is committed to providing the kind of funds that will enable Everton to make a significant impact in the transfer market.

Martinez, Everton’s manager, has met Morshiri and says he has 'fallen in love' with Everton and, given that he was a former Arsenal shareholder, knows exactly what is required for a club to make an impact in the Barclays Premier League.

Iranian businessman Farhad Moshiri is the new major shareholder at Everton

Roberto Martinez believes the new investment can elevate Everton to a higher level

Bill Kenwright, Everton’s chairman, has been searching for new investment for a decade and he is adamant that Morshiri – whom he first met 18 months ago – can provide the backing that will give Everton the opportunity to regularly push for Champions League football.

More than anything, though, Martinez expects this to be a significant moment in Everton’s history and he believes it can propel them to a different level.

Share this article

Share

17 shares

‘It is really, really good news,’ said Martinez, who does not yet know when Morshiri – who is based in Monaco – will get to attend his first Everton game. 'I have met Mr Morshiri and the impression that I got was that he was a gentleman with incredible values.

‘He knows the Premier League inside out and he knows how difficult it is to have a vision. He is someone that has been working with a Premier League club and knows what it takes. He has followed the club very closely and he has fallen in love with the club and Everton’s history.

Everton have had an inconsistent season but Martinez believes with new investment the club can push on

‘The chairman has the perfect person to introduce to Everton. We want to take all the good things that we have got and all the good things that the chairman has put in and he wants to push on. The arrival of Farhad Moshiri is something for every Evertonian to be excited about.

‘It is not an easy transaction. I am well aware that you will always have those conversations but to have the right person in charge is very important. There has been a lot of interest. Every potential phase is important. We probably have the perfect person to fit in.

‘We are not going to lose any of our values. The chairman has been very careful to look through and find every single detail. He is the perfect person to come into Everton. All we are doing now is sharing in the excitement of the new partnership. The message is that we are really excited.

Martinez, whose side face Aston Villa on Tuesday, added: ‘We have been waiting for this a long time. We want strong continuity on the things that we have here. It is such an outstanding opportunity for everyone, to kick on and have a new beginning.’

Martinez hopes to fulfil his ambition of leading Everton to the Champions League

On whether Morshiri will finance a new stadium, Martinez added: ‘In the future, that is something that will be raised. The vision Farhad Moshiri has is something the chairman is very much on par with. Over the next 80 days, we will do something with fresh energy.

‘We have to finish really strong in order to benefit for the new investor. It is a wave of positive energy. You get challenged individually and we are going to show that we are ready to take the club to the next level. You can feel the excitement around the place.

‘When I started here (in June 2013), my ambition was to look at the Champions League and become a winning team. The investment he has can take us to a different level. The new investor knows the history of our football club. We want to get to where we belong.’